The Seattle Seahawks got good news on quarterback Sam Darnold, who is back to full health after dealing with an oblique injury.<\/b>
\nDarnold had been dealing with an oblique injury during the team\u2019s playoff games, shaking off the injury to throw three touchdown passes in a win over the Los Angeles Rams to reach the Super Bowl. He was limited in practices leading up to the Super Bowl, but told reporters on Wednedsay that he\u2019s back to full health.
\u201cIt feels really good,\u201d Darnold said, via ESPN. \u201cDefinitely the time off has helped a little bit. I\u2019m always just going to take it one step at a time, do my rehab and do everything I need to do to make sure it feels great going into practice and going into the game \u2026 on Sunday.\u201d
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald added that the team has been careful with their approach to Darnold, making sure not to aggravate the injury in practice.
\u201cSam\u2019s right on schedule,\u201d Macdonald said. \u201cSo we\u2019ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we\u2019re right on schedule.\u201d
The Seahawks coach added that Darnold is ready for the Super Bowl.
\u201cHe\u2019s in a great spot. I know he\u2019s really confident,\u201d Macdonald said.
Darnold has been focused on the game, setting aside questions about his unusual path to the big game. After joining the New York Jets as a first-round pick in 2018, he watched the other quarterbacks of his class \u2014 Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Baker Mayfield \u2014 find more success. Darnold was pushed out of New York and bounced around the league before landing with the Minnesota Vikings last season.
Though Darnold led the Vikings to 14 wins, the team chose to move on from him on the offseason and he ended up signing with the Seahawks.
When asked if a Super Bowl win would vindicate him, Darnold shied away from the narrative.
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t really come down to that for me,\u201d Darnold said, via the team\u2019s official website. \u201cIt\u2019s always just been about putting in hard work, every single day. Hard work and all the dedication and hours I put in in the offseason, during the season, it leads to this moment. That\u2019s the mindset I have, and really the mindset I\u2019ve had my entire career.\u201d
While Darnold has been trending in the right direction, the Seahawks did get a setback during practice on Wednesday when defensive back Nick Emmanwori suffered an ankle injury during a drill.
Macdonald said the team would be evaluating the injury before determining how to handle Emmanwori for the rest of the week.
\u201cHe had an ankle today,\u201d Macdonald. \u201cWe brought him in to look at it, and we\u2019ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n